Choices
by Zephsace
Summary: A young mutant has to make the choice between her life now and her future.
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
We all travel the same road like everyone else. That path is well worn and known. But there is a point where that path ends and we must find what new path to take. Will you follow that path of others? Or will you forge a new path?  
  
And once you do take a path or make one, will there be more paths to choose? And will they be the right paths?  
  
There are just too many choices . . . 


	2. A New Path

Chapter I: A New Path  
  
The group slid into their seats, the three of them looking around in their surroundings. Leaning over, the tall red head asked, "So where is diz girl?" His southern-French accent was a rare one.  
  
"She's number six on the home team." Looking down at a small photo and a few notes, she searched for the name. "Catt Zephsace . . . Lovely name . . . The file says that she got into a fight with someone when she was six, leaving a scar." A light laughed passed the last one's lips, his eyes hidden by sunglasses.  
  
"Seems you've finally found another charger," he said, his eyes scanning the field for the young woman. "Is there anything about her that would make her stick out of the group?" he asked.  
  
Nodding, the woman brushed a stand of red hair out of her face. "She has a very long braid that reaches about mid-thigh. Besides that, nothing would be seen from here." Looking up, she smiled, her finger pointed to a figure that walked out of the dugout to warm up. "There. There's the one."  
  
True to her word, a young brunette stepped up the steps, the spoken braid snaking down her back, as if swaying back and forth to tease anyone who watched it. She turned to look up at the crowd that was there and her eyes stopped. It seemed a young Spanish teen had caught her eye and she smiled. He walked down to where the rail kept the fans from the field and leaned between two of them. They talked for a little before sharing a hug, Catt laughing lightly as she headed back to the field. Looking around again, she looked directly at three and smiled then turned again and started to jog around the bases.  
  
"What was that about?" the brunette asked, adjusting his sunglasses. He let his vision follow the youth for a little before looking at his two companions.  
  
"It seems she has noticed us. I don't think she's worried about us. Maybe she just thinks that we are loyal fans of some sort. We'll still talk to after the game, right?"  
  
"Of course. I would love to meet Mizz Catt face to face . . ."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
"The score is 2 to 1, at the bottom of the final inning in the championship, the Redtails down by one with two on base and two out. Next up . . . Oh dear gods, I hope someone on the other team has someone outside the stadium to catch the next ball because number six, the 'Queen of Spades', the Goddess of Death, the one and only Catt Zephsace is up at bat!" The crowd went wild as a young brunette stepped out of the dugout, a long braid snaking down her back. She pulled the crimson cap off her head to expose her blue eyes to everyone as her stats were flashed on the bored overhead. The crowd started a soft chant that soon grew to deafening proportions, cheering on the hometown "heroine". "May I remind you folks, our young Catt Zephsace is the only player that plays on both the women's and men's teams! She is definitely one person not to mess with."  
  
Normally, a scene like this would drive a person's ego through the roof but not Catt. She nodded to everyone before placing her hat back on and stepped up to the batter's box. In her hand, she held a black bat with a woman dressed in a black dress who held a sword, with the words "Queen of Spades" tattooed on the side. Yes, this was what the young woman love.  
  
"Hit it lefty!" a red head called out from first base, smiling as she blew a bubble with her gum. Catt simply shook her head, her eyes staring down the pitcher.  
  
"I want to go home and eat. I'm not wasting my time . . ." She took her stance and brought her bat back. The crowd went silent then suddenly jeered and hissed as a dust cloud rose from the ground; Catt had ducked before the ball could take her head off her shoulder. "Let's try this again . . ." she muttered as she dusted the clay from her suit. The stadium fell silent again before an "ah" sounded as the ball went foul, a curse passing her lips. "One . . . last . . . time . . ." The ball was thrown and everything seemed in slow motion. Gods, I hate slow mo . . .  
  
Half the bat flew into the stands, the rest left in her hands. Her eyes followed the ball up and up, her lips mouthing small curses and hopes. Then things seemed to stop. She could see everything in that moment. Her coach was screaming her head off, her teammates running the bases as if someone was chasing them with a whole army behind them, the crowd standing on their feet, cheering and praying that the ball would keep going. Then her eyes landed on the three that she had noticed earlier. They were still looking at her. But it was the guy with the red hair that she had her eyes fixed on. A sense of familiarity set inside her chest as she started to walk the bases, the feeling of their eyes sitting on her back.  
  
"Zephsace is just staring as the ball fly. It's going . . . going . . . GONE! I can't believe it! Again, the young Catt Zephsace has won the game for her team and this time, they win the state championship! I can tell you one person who's going to sleep well tonight. Jao and Baruka are waiting at the plate for the MVP of this team and here she comes. It is official. The Redtails win 4 to 2 and the championship. Ladies and gentlemen, this is 'Screwball' Paul Gerlio, announcing the final game of this season. Until next season, keep hitting those homers!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
The locker room was empty save for one person. Wrapped in a towel was Catt, her braid unraveled and sticking to her skin. A figure stood by the entrance as she rummaged through her bag for clothing.  
  
"You were great out there," a voice said, causing the former to smile. There stood Tempest Blaise, Catt's best friend since they were still embryos. His chocolate eyes complimented his tanned skin as his black hair fell into his eyes, some of it pulled back into a ponytail.  
  
"And when am I not?" she asked as she slipped her boxers on under the towel and her jeans followed soon after. Adjusting her towel, she walked over to teen and hugged him, one of her hands playing his hair.  
  
"So are you coming over tonight?" he asked as he pulled away, his smile reaching ear to ear.  
  
"About eleven. I'm gonna grab a bite with Summer before I come over, but I won't eat too much. You know I love your cooking." She leaned back to look at her friend, a slight knot forming in her stomach, the feeling familiar for the past several years.  
  
You should tell him . . . a voice in the back of her mind whispered. About how you feel and what you are . . .  
  
Shut up! she hissed back and the voice left instantly, the knot in her stomach growing slowly. Just as the words seemed to have taken effect, a female voice sounded.  
  
"Hey you two! Not in here!" an Asian girl said, her black hair falling into her face as she walked into the locker room. "I think you two would make a cute couple . . ." She snickered as the brunette turned beet red.  
  
"I swear Summer, if you weren't my friend, I'd slug ya . . ." Tempest, taking advantage of Catt's embarrassment, pulled the younger one closer to him and placed a kiss on her forehead while smiling.  
  
"Well, did you see the marks she left on back from the other night?" he asked as he started to shift his shirt so that Summer could see his back. Sure enough, there were marks on his back but a human did not inflict them.  
  
"His cat attacked him the other night. I had to make sure that none of them got infected by going over to his house and cleaning his boo boos . . ." The two girls laughed as the Spanish teen turned slightly pink under his eyes. "I told him not to place catnip under his shirt and let his cat go after it . . ."  
  
"Well, how was I suppose to know that the cat was going to act like it was on crack?" he defended, taking a step away from Catt to face Summer more. "Plus, how do you know that she doesn't have little claws like a cat she can use to scratch the crap out of me? Hmm?"  
  
The raven-haired girl laughed again before answering, "Don't you know?"  
  
"No . . ." Sighing, Tempest turned back to Catt and said, "I'll see you tonight. Don't be late or else the food will get cold . . ." A quick kiss was place on her forehead before he started to leave. "Remember!"  
  
"I will," she called back, her towel slipping slightly. She quickly fixed it before it fell and watched Tempest leave. Sighing, she smiled at the thought of the two of them being a couple.  
  
"You should really tell him how you feel," Summer said as she sat on one of the benches. "And what you are too . . ." Shaking her head, the brunette rummaged through her bag for her bra.  
  
"I can't," she whispered, the article of clothing still missing. "He would be upset . . . I just can't say one day, 'Hey Tempest! Guess what? I want to jump your bones plus I'm a charger! Ha ha ha ha ha!' No fucking way . . ."  
  
Scratching her head, Summer stated, "Putting it like that might not be the best of ideas. I mean, you can ease it into the conversation like, 'Hey Tempest! Nice cooking! To reward you, I'm gonna screw you until you pass out but I need you to know that I'm a charger. Okay?' Kind of like that . . ." What sounded like a snicker came from Catt's direction before the sound became a full fledge laugh, the towel slipping slightly.  
  
"I could try that."  
  
Standing up, the Asian girl said, "I'm going to go place that order so I'll meet you there."  
  
"Yeah. See ya later."  
  
As Summer started to leave the locker room, she called over her shoulder, "Hope you find that bra!"  
  
"Whatever . . ." Catt finally found her bra but before she dropped her towel, a click of a shoe brought her attention back to the doorway. There stood a lean guy with red hair that fell in front of his face. He wore a summer suit, the jacket folded in one of his arms. His eyes were a storm blue as he gazed at the brunette. A smile was placed on his lips as he walked closer. "Hey! You're that guy that I saw in the stands!"  
  
"Dat iz true," he replied, his accent slightly thick but not so that the words were hard to understand. "My name iz Remy LeBeau. It iz a pleasure, Mizz Catt Zephsace." He extended his hand for a handshake that Catt met halfway.  
  
"Well, Mr. LeBeau, how do you know my name?" Her blue eyes scanned the others for some sort of sign that something was wrong. "You and your friends seem to have your eyes on me."  
  
"Dat, too, iz true." Taking a step back, his smile grew slightly. "Did I interrupt somet'ing?" He pointed to the bra in her hand that caused a faint blush to appear below her eyes.  
  
"How about I dress while you tell me what you want?" A nod was given and she turned away from the Cajun. "So what do you and your friends want?" She dropped her towel, exposing her back as she straightened her bra. Faint lines crossed each other across her back, the scars stunning Remy temporarily.  
  
"I have come from the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters to propose a place at ze school for you. We have been watching and ze Professor seems to like you. He said that you are one talented girl."  
  
"Xavier . . . That's the school for mutants . . ." Turning her head, she saw the man's eyes turn from their blue color to completely red, the body of the eye a shade of crimson. "So you're not anti-mutant, I'm guessing," she stated sarcastically. She pulled her bra over her head and grabbed her shirt. "So you want me to go to the school when?"  
  
"Whenever you want. You can start tomorrow if you want to." Remy's eyes couldn't help but follow each scar, wondering just what happened to this young woman. "Ze choice iz yours of course." Before he could ask about the wounds, Catt pulled her shirt over down, blocking the unspoken memories in the air. The brunette turned and sighed, her blue eyes swirling with emotions.  
  
"Only a few people even know I'm a mutant. It would be odd for me to just go and leave what I have now to go to the school with you."  
  
"You can think about it all you want. You can arrive tomorrow or years from now and you will still welcomed. Diz iz Remy's promise to you." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card, one side a jack of clubs, the other side with information. "Ze first number iz the number to ze school, ze second number iz Remy's cell phone. Don't be afraid to call, okay?"  
  
"Sure," she replied, taking the card from the other, the item warm to the touch. "Do you need information from me about my address?" she asked, scanning the card.  
  
"Nah. We know where you live so we could always drop by to ask you." Bowing slightly, Remy turned on his heel to walk out but not before he stopped to ask, "If Remy may, Mizz Catt, but could you tell me why you have so many scars on your back while you are still so young?" A flash of pain crossed the younger one before her face hardened.  
  
"They hold memories I have pushed to the back of my mind for years but every so often they remind me of people who can not understand what we are." She slid her feet into a pair of sandals before adding, "Right now isn't the best time to talk about why they are there. Leave that for a day when people like us are actually considered human . . ."  
  
Smiling sadly, the man nodded before he walked out of the locker room, understanding to a point what happened to Catt. He made his way outside were a cool breeze played with his hair. Two figures walked up to him, both shorter than him.  
  
"So how did it go?" Scott asked, his red sunglasses hiding what his eyes were saying that his face wasn't.  
  
"Mizz Catt iz afraid of losing what she has here. Moving would bring pain to her heart," he replied, shrugging on his jacket. "It seems she wants to be in a place were she doesn't have to hide who she iz from everybody but diz iz home for her. She feels she can't leave."  
  
Nodding slightly, Jean added, "But she is thinking about it. Even though she's blocking me from reading her mind that is the only thing that stands out. That plus she's hungry." A little laugh passed by all their lips as they started to walk into the main part of the city.  
  
"So what do we do?" the brunette asked as he walked between Remy and Jean as he looked up to meet Remy's gaze.  
  
"We wait . . ."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
The walk to the diner was short, no more than a mile away. It was a usual trip for Catt; after a home game, she'd walk to the only place in town where they sandwiches were the best. The place was packed as usual with one seat empty.  
  
Pushing the door open, the man behind the counter smiled greatly and raised his voice. "So there's our MVP! I thought a rival had kidnapped you!" Reaching behind him on a counter, he placed a sandwich down as the brunette smiled.  
  
"Not so loud, Matt," she chided, her cheeks flushing. "What's with everyone embarrassing me today?" She sat down, placing her bag and jacket at her feet, and nodded to a few people around her as a glass of soda was placed next to her plate.  
  
"We wouldn't do it if we didn't love you, Catt," Summer replied as she sipped at her drink.  
  
"So causing the blood to rush to my cheeks every three minutes is good for my health?" She bit into her sandwich, a turkey and ham sandwich with mayo and lettuce. "Y'know what Matt?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"If you didn't make the best food as a diner, I so wouldn't come here . . ." She swallowed her bite and took a huge gulp of her drink, a small burp escaping into the air. "Excuse me . . ."  
  
"That was weak," commented the Asian girl from behind her food, a piece of tomato falling on to her plate. "Stupid food." She quickly shoved the slice back between the bread and took another bite.  
  
Half of Catt's sandwich was gone in the matter with a few bites and her drink gone in mere seconds. "Hey Matt? Could you wrap this up for me? I need to get going," she said, standing up and stretching, her stomach slightly exposed as her shirt rode up.  
  
"Where ya going?" He pulled a piece of wax paper from under the counter, and with skillful hands, the food was quickly wrapped.  
  
"Tempest is cooking a late dinner for me then we're going to watch a movie." She slipped her jacket and straightened the collar.  
  
"Are you going to tell him?" both Summer and Matt asked at the same time.  
  
"No!" Grabbing the last half of the sandwich, the teen threw it in her bag as she said, "I can't. Just not yet." She brushed a piece of hair out of her face as she shifted her back on her back. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." Before she left, she asked, "How much?"  
  
"Tonight was on the house. You're the MVP tonight so you're being treated. Have fun." Smiling, Summer waved at her then went back to her food.  
  
"Thanks Matt." With that, she was gone. 


End file.
